Combination vehicle-top.



A. H. GILLETTE.

COMBINATION VEHICLE TOP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a. 1911.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

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COMBINATION VEHICLE TOP.

APPLICATION r1150 MAR. 3. 1911.

l ,260, 1 88. Patented Mar. 19, .1918.

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COMBINATION VEHICLE TOP. APucATlpu FILED MAR.3. 1911.

Patented Mar. 1 9, 1918.

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AMOS H. GILLETTE, OF ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB TO WILLIAM J. SIMONS, OF ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY, AND FRANK M. SIMONS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINATION VEHICLE-TOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

Application filed March 3, 1917. Serial No. 152,164.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMos H. GILLETTE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlantic City, in the county of Atlantic and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combination Vehiole-Tops, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in a combination vehicle top, and has for its object to provide an exceedingly simple and effective device of this character, which may be used either as a Victoria top or touring top.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination vehicle top which may-be readily and easily adjusted to form different styles, one which will be unique and simple in construction, yet strong and durable. A

With these ends in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that-those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals t0 the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a fragmentary side elevation of an automobile, showing my improved combination vehicle top applied thereto, and extended to produce the style known as a touring top, portions thereof being shown in section to clearly illustrate the invention.

\Fig. 2, is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section of one of the bows, showing the position, in dotted lines, of the reach bar when folded.

Fig. 3, is a similar view, showing the position of the reach bar about to be positioned to form the Victoria top.

Fig. 4, is a fragmentary side elevation of an automobile, showing my top folded to form the Victoria style, portions thereof being shown in section to illustrate the invention.

Fig. 5, is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the slotted bow and reach bar shown in Figs. 2 and 3; and

Fig. 6, is a fragmentary side elevation of an automobile, embodying a modified form f construction of my invention, portions of name and cover bemg 1n sectlon to clearly lllustrate the working parts.

In carrying out my invention as here embodied, 2 represents a vehicle here shown as an automobile, and to this is hingedly attached in any suitable manner the front bow 3 of the Victoria top frame 4:, which consists of said front how 3, a rear bow 5 hinged in any suitable manner to said front bow adjacent its lower end, and hinged to said rear how 5 intermediate its ends is a supporting how 6, the front and rear bows when in their raised position diverging upwardly, so as to form suitable supports for the front and rear portions of the top cover 7, while the supporting how 6 projects forwardly from the rear bow approximately parallel with the front bow 3 and supports the cover 7 between the front and rear bows. These bows are of the same general form as used in carriage and automobile tops of the present day, or in other words they consist of two side arms and a connecting rod.

The frame is held in its raised position.

' in any suitable manner as by a jointed brace rod 8. The side arms of the front bow 3 are grooved longitudinally throughout the major portion of their length, as at 9, said grooves being plainly shown in Figs. 2, 8 and 5. In this groove is slidably arranged a ball 10 carried by the inner end of the socket member 11 of the reach bow 12. One of these socket members 11 cooperates with each of the arms of the front bow 3, and in said sockets is telescopingly mounted the arms 13 of the extension member 14, which is held in its adjusted position and supported by the frame 15 of the wind-shield or any other suitable frame which might consist of two rods suitably attached to the vehicle.

One manner in which the extension member may be fastened to the frame 15 is plainly illustrated in Fig. l, and consists of a ball 16 on said frame, which is adapted to register with a socket 17 carried by the front portion of said extension bow, and these are held in registration in any suitable manner as by the ordinary retaining straps (not shown). To the socket members 11 are suitably hinged adjacent their outer ends a supporting bow 18. The socket members 11, the extension bow l4, and the supporting bow 18 together form the touring top frame,

and support the cover extension 19 project ing from the front bow 3 to the extension bow 14, to which it is secured or attached by means of suitable fastening devices 20 carried by the extension bow and the complementary fastening devices 21 carried by the front edge of the cover extension, and when the top is being used in the Victoria style, the complementary fastening devices 21 cooperate with fastening devices 22 secured to the upper portion of the rear bow 5 similar to the fastening devices 20.

lVhen the Victoria top frame is raised and the touringtop frame is extended as shown in Fig. 1, a top is produced which is known as a touring top, whereas when the extension bow 14: is telescoped and the socket members are moved down the front bow member 3 to the position in Fig. 4;, the cover extension 19 may then be folded under the main cover-'7 and fastened to the rear bow 5 to produce a style of top as the victoria.

When the touring top frame or reach bow is adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 1, and the extension member is attached to the frame 15, the balls 10 of the socket members will not slide down their respective grooves in the side arms of the front bow, and in order to further secure them against the possibility of descending, I provide each of the socket members 11 adjacent the ball 10, with an annular shoulder 23 spaced from the ball 10 a suficient distance to permit the walls of the front bow in the region of the sockets to snugly fit between the ball and shoulder, and when thetouring frame is extended or adjusted as shown in'Fig. 1, the ball and shoulder will pinch or jam upon the edges of the walls of the, front bow produced by the socket, as will be obvious.

When the socket members are produced in this manner, it then becomes necessary to raise the touring top of the. frame until the socket members are approximately parallel with the front bow 3, as shown in. Fig. 3, to relieve the jamming action and permit said socket members to descend to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

It is to be understood that if it is de sired to lower the top entirely, the brace rods 8 are folded up, which will permit both frames to swing. back from the position 1 shown in Fig. a tea lower position in the same manner as any folding vehicle top.

In that form ofmy device illustrated in Fig. 6, the'reach bow 12 consists of the extension bow 14: hingedly fastened to the outer ends of the side. bars 25, which in turn are hinged at their inner ends to the front bow 3, and each of these hinges is provided with a pintle set screw 26, whereby the parts may be securely held in their adjustments.

When the, reach bow is adjusted to its raised position to form the touring-top, as shown in Fig. 6, the cover extension 19 is at- 'tached'to the edge thereof, the same as clethe pintle set screws 26 are released and the side bars 25 allowed to drop down, while the extension bow is folded upward, so that the transverse portion thereof will lie parallel to the transverse portion of the front bow 3, after which. the cover extension may be folded back under the cover 7 and attached to the fastening devices 22 in the same mannor as shown in Fig. 4. j

Of course I do not wish to be limitedto the exact details of construction as here shown, as these may be varied within the limits of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, is-

1. A vehicle top comprising a Victoria frame consisting of a front bow hingedly attached to a vehicle, a rear bow hingedly connected with the front b0 v, and a supporting bow iingedly connected with the rear bow, a portion of said Victoria frame carrying fastening means, a touring frame consisting of socket members adjustably connected with the front bow of the touring frame, an extension bow telescopingly connected with said socket members, and a supporting bow hingedly connected with the socket members, aportion of said touring frame carrying fastening means, a cover carried by the victoria frame, and a cover extension carrying complementary fastening means whereby it may be detachably connected with the touring frame when the latter is in its extended position and detachably connected with the victoria frame when the touring frame is collapsed.

In a device of the character stat-ed the combination with a vehicle, of a front bow hingedly connected with the vehicle, and having longitudinal rooves therein, a rear bow hingedly connected with the front bow adjacent its lower end, a supporting bow hingedly connected with the rear bow, socket members, a ball carried by the inner ends of said socket members andadapted to operate in the grooves in the front bow, annular shoulders formed with said socket members and spaced fromethe balls, so as to jam upon the side walls of the grooves in the front bow when said socket members are in a horizontal position, a supporting justed position, fastening devices carried by said extension bow other fastenin devices carried by the rear bow, a cover attached to the front and rear bows, a cover extension and complementary fastening devices carried by the front edge of the cover extension whereby said extension may be detachably secured to the extension bow when the same is in its raised position, said cover extension adapted to be folded under the different bows and detachably secured to the rear bow when the extension bow is collapsed.

3. A vehicle top comprising in combination, a victoria frame hingedly attached to a vehicle, a touring frame comprising socket members and an extension member telescopingly mounted in said socket members, said touring frame being slidably connected to the victoria frame by means of the socket members, a frame carried by the vehicle with which the touring frame coacts when open a cover carried by the Victoria frame and a cover extension adapted to be disposed over the touring frame and detachably secured thereto when in a raised position and be folded under the victoria frame and detachably secured .to a portion thereof when the touring frame is collapsed.

l. In a device of the character stated, the

combination with a vehicle, of a Victoria frame hingedly connected with the vehicle, said frame including a front bow having longitudinal grooves therein, socket members each having a ball at its inner end for registration with the grooves whereby said socket members have a slidable connection with the Victoria frame, an extension bow provided with sockets and telescopingly mounted in said socket members, a frame carried by the vehicle and provided with means for registration with the sockets of the extension bow, whereby said extension bow may be supported in its raised or open position, fastening devices carried by the extension how, other fastening devices carried by the rear how, a cover extension and complementary fastening devices carried by the front edge of the cover extension, whereby said extension may be detachably secured to the extension bow when the same is in its raised position, said cover extension adapted to be folded under the different bows and detachably secured to the rear how when the touring frame is collapsed.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

AMOS H. GILLETTE.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.? 

